One can only hope the Arteta residence has thick walls. Arsenal’s manager, absent after testing positive for Covid-19, had said he would “need a big room” before watching this fixture from home and it would be a wonder if there was much of it left by the time his players walked off.
This should have been a moment of arrival for his young team and, when the dust has settled, may still feel like one: they outplayed a flat Manchester City for sustained periods, leading at the break through Bukayo Saka, but ended up with nothing after Rodri’s added-time winner. Arsenal had been dominant until two rushes of blood in the 15 minutes after half-time, Granit Xhaka conceding a penalty that Riyad Mahrez dispatched and Gabriel almost instantly being dismissed for two stupid bookings. City pickpocketed their 11th straight win but, had Arsenal managed to keep that many players on the pitch, Arteta’s frustration would surely have been minimal.
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